Plumb-bob



(N0 Mode'l.)

G. G. AVERY.

PLUMB BOB.

Patented June 12,1883.

N. PETERS. wiowumn n mr. Washington, 0. c,

my invention.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C. AVERY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

PLUMB-BOB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 279,316, dated June 12,1 883,

' Application filed March 31, 1883. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. AVERY, of Louisville, in the county ofJefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Plumb-Bobs; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making part of this application.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inmechanisms for the drawing into and winding up within the interiorthereof of the line or cord used in connection with plumb-bobs, butwhich improve ments may in whole or in part be employed in connectionwith other implements or contrivances for other purposes.

I have shown my invention in connection with a plumb-bob, and adescription of it in this connection will suffice to sufficiently andproperly explain the several features of my improvements, some or-all ofwhich, as I have said, may be adapted for use in connection with othercontrivances or machines.

The precise nature of my invention will be particularly pointed out andspecified in the claims of this application; and to enable those skilledin the art to which my improvements relate to make and use my invention,1 will now to proceed to more fully describe the latter, referring byletters of reference to the accompanying drawings, which form part ofthis specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view or elevation of a metallicplumb-bob embracing Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is avertical central section at the line 00 x of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 ishorizontal section at the line y y of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is asimilarsection at the line .2 z of Fig. 3.

In the several figures the same part will be found designated by thesame letter of reference.

B is the solid body portion of a metallic plumb-bob of about the usualform, and provided with a fixed axial and cylindrical bar or portion, A,which, by preference, constitutes at its lower end the point of the bob,and which, as shown, extends vertically upward some distance above thetop of the solid portion B, and has its upper end threaded for theaccommodation of the thumb-nut d, which,

I when screwed home, serves to hold in place the hemispherically-shapedportion or shell H of the bob, said hemispherical portion H beingadapted, as shown, to fit at its base in a slight rabbet, f, formed atthe upper peripheral edge of the solid portion B, and also being perforated at its apex or upper central portion for the passage through it ofthe upper threaded end of the said cylindrical bar A. The upper part ofthe solid portion B is dished out or formed with a 'cylindrically-shapedrecess or receptacle, H*, for the accommodation of a flat coiled spring,111., and immediately over said spring-containing recess or receptacle His located the hollow drum or spring-spool I, in the interior of whichis located another flat coiled which is wound the line or cord h of theplumbbob. The said springdrum is mounted at its central opening or eyeupon a sleeve-like device, O, which sleeve-like, device is arranged toturn freely on a portion of the cylindrical bar A, while the spring n isadapted, when wound up,to effect the rotation of the said spring-drumand said sleeve-like device, and the spring m is adapted to rotate saidsleevelike device only, all in a manner and for a purpose to bepresently explained.

E is a thread guide or perforated line-' guider, which is balanced bythe device F, and through which the cord wound on the grooved peripheryof the spring'drum I passes toward and partially around the groovedperiphery of a small metallic guide-v 'heel or sheave, C, which,together witha merely counterbalancarm-like portion of a sort ofstraddle-frame, J, which is securely clamped about and firmly heldi'n afixed position on the axial bar or rod A, all as clearly shown in Fig.3. The grooved wheel D has a portion of its periphery cut away, so as tobe entirely clear of the cord, where it passes around the wheel, C andis held in place within the groove of the periphery of the said wheel 0,the central bar or cylindrical stem, A, being slotted out or cut throughlongitudinally, as shown, so as to permit the peripheries of the sheavesG and D to come nearly but not quite together at a point coincident withthe axial line of the said stem or portion A.

spring, a, and on the grooved-out periphery of r ing-wheel, D, ismounted on the depending The said stem, it will be seen, is also boredout longitudinally and centrally from its upper end downward to near itsmiddle portion for the accommodation of the spiral spring F* and thelongitudinally-slotted bar or arbor 13*, which are arranged within thebore of said stem A in the following manner-that is, with the spring farranged in the lower portion of the stem A, and with the device Bresting on the top of said spring F and occupying. the rest of the boreof the device A.

The device 13* is slotted out longitudinally in the vicinity of theadjacent portions of thetwo wheels orsheaves O and D, and is soconstructed that an upper portion of its lower slotted end so forced upby the spiral spring F comes in contact'with the cord lying in a portionof the grooved periphery of the wheel 0, and acts as a brake 011 saidcord and said wheel to prevent the latter from turning and the formerfrom being drawn out of the bar, while the upper portion of the device Bis formed with a comparatively large central bore during the greaterpart of its length, and with a smaller central bore in its upperteat-like end, 12*, through which latter bore the cord or line It barelypasses or draws freely longitudinally of the axis of said device 13*.The cord or line it is provided with a ring or any other suitable deviceto prevent its outer end from being drawn into the interior of the bar,and for convenience in pulling out the cord or line and supending thebob for use.

The sleeve-like device 0, before referred to, is arranged to turn freelyon the central longitudinal device, A, and is held longitudinally inplace between a shoulder on said de vice A, against which the lower endof the sleeve bears, and a securingcollar, I), which surrounds saiddevice at a point where it will come into contact with the upper end ofsaid sleeve, all as plainly shown at Fig. 3. The spring it connects theinterior of the cylindrical portion of the drum or spool l with thesleeve-like device 0, while the spring m connects said sleeve-likedevice 0 with the peripheral portion of the disk-like or cylindrical re-'cess H, formed in the upper end of the slotted portion B of the bob,and thus by the uncoiling or expanding actions of the said two springsis the spool I rotated about its axis of motion in a given direction andto an extent equal to the uncoiling capacities of the two springs m andn, the sleeve-like device 0 being rotated on the central stud or arbor,A, half as many times as the said spool or drum I turns on its axis.

It will be seen that when the parts are all. put together properly, asshown. at Fig. 3, and the line or cord h fully wound up within the bob,the latter may be suspended by the ring without causing the string to bewithdrawn to any extent, through the central bore of the teat-likeportion 1) of the device B", (through which said cord passes downwardlyinto the bob,) because the brake device, at the point 8, will be heldupwardly with suflicient force by the action of the partial]y-eompressedspiral spring Etc prevent any movement of the cord relatively to the bobmechanism. \Vhen, however, it is desired to draw out the cord, in orderto use the bob, the teat-like device d' is pressed upon at the same timethat the cord h is pulled upwardly, (by taking hold of the ring,) thedownward movement of the device 13* against the pressure of the spring Foperating to take off the brake or release the locking action at thepoint 8 and permit the pulling out and unwinding of the cord h by theexercise of a pulling force suflicient to overcome the counteractingtendency of the springs n and m, which are, of course, wound up just inproportion as the cord h is unwound from the grooved periphery of itsspool or drumlike device I.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be readily understood that as the cord his wound onto or unwound from the periphery of the spool or drum I it isguided with the least possible friction, (and so as to avoid any dangerof entangleinent or displacement, first, by the cordguide E; second, bythe grooved periphery of the sheave C and the cut-out guide-like portionof the periphery of the device l), (which, unlike the sheave C, remainsin a fixed position on its central sheave or arbor and, third, by theaxial cord-bore or central hole in the teat-like device (1 of the deviceB. Of course whenever the cord h shall have been drawn out to anydesired extent less than the fullest extent to which it is possible topull the cord the bob may be clamped to the string and held with anygiven amount of cord pulled out by simply releasing "the teat-likedevice d from the downward pressure which had necessarily to be appliedto it for the purpose of releasing the brake-like device from the cordand sheave at the point x, and thus the bob may be used at pleasure witha greater or less length of cord or line.

It will be seen t-hatby the employment of the two coiled springs m andn, one arranged within the drum 1, as explained, and the other below thesaid drum, and so as to connect the periphery of the recess 1:! with thelower part of the sleeve-like device 0, the winding-up mechanism has itscapacity doubled as compared with one containing only one spring,.

such as or, arranged within the cord drum or spool-that is to say, bythe use of the two springs, as shown, one operating to turn thespring-drum and its sleeve-like device 0, and the other operating tofurther turn (to about an equal. extent) the sleeve-like device 0, towhich said drum is fastened, double the amount of cord can be wound uponthe spring-drum by the action of the winding mechanism, and it will beunderstood, of course, that this multiplication of winding-up springsmay be increased by the addition (under 'a suitable arrangement) ofadditional springs.

In order to get at the interior of the hollow portion of the bob, it isonly necessary, of course, to unscrew the thumb-nut d by means of itsknurled periphery, and then lift off the hemispherical dome-like portionH, when the internal mechanism of the bob will be fully exposed foradjustment or repair, as occasion may require.

It will be seen that with proper modifications in the details ofconstruction that feature of my invention which consists in the use of aseries of springs operating conjointly and successively to eifect therotation of the drum or spool may be applied with advantage totape-measurewinding-up mechanisms and to other analogous contrivances,and, furthermore, that with suitable changes this feature or part of myinvention may be adapted to and employed with more or less advantage inother and less analogous contrivances Wherever it may be desired to usea multiplication of guide-springs for the purpose of multiplying thenumber of revolutions of a drum or other device which it may be desiredto have actuated by spring motive power.

I do not, therefore, wish to be understood as limiting my claims ofinvention, so far as this feature thereof may be concerned, to theparticular mode of carrying out the same, herein shown and described,nor to the application of a series of coiled springs acting on a singlespool or drum to a plumb-bob and other analogous oontrivances; but, V

. Having so fully explained the nature of my invention and theconstruction and operation of a contrivance showing the same as toenable those skilled in the art to carry out in different forms and fordifferent purposes either one or all ofthe features of my invention,what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the inclosing-case of a plumb-bob, awinding-updrum or spool and a series of actuating-springs arranged within andadjacent to said drum and operatingto rotate said drum to an extentcommensurate with the aggregate winding capacities of the series ofsprings, all substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In combination with the inclosing-case of a plumb-bob or otheranalogous contrivance, a spring-windingnip drum, a cord-guide, or othersuitable means for guiding the core from the periphery of the drum tothe axial or central orifice of the case of the bob or other analogouscontrivance, and a clamping or brake-like device arranged axially of thebob or other contrivance, and operating, as described, to clamp or holdthe cord, substantially as described.

3. In combinatioir with the body portion of a plumb-bob, anaxially-arranged device, A, centrally bored out and containing withinits bore a spiral spring, F, and a device, 13*, which forms both acord-guide and a brake, and

suitable means for winding up the cord or line of the bob, substantiallyin the manner described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand this 19th day of March,1883.

GEORGE C. AVERY.

In presence ofv GEO, PORTEOUS,

W. G. GATES.

